The gas we pass…

Yes. I’m going there. I’m going to write about gas. So much fun. I have to be honest here, even though I’m not an overly gassy person, I have to admit that in my family we find gas very funny. Farts and burps make us giggle. No two are the same.

I do try to teach my kids that if they need to burp or fart they should do it quietly and ideally – they should be done in private. I think this is mostly impossible to expect from children. Anyhoo – in the comfort of our own home, it’s not frowned upon. The adults are mostly well behaved, however if a kid needs to let it out – out it will come – and it’s always followed by laughter and sometimes some tickling – which inevitably leads to, well… more gas.

When we have babies we’re always encouraging them to burp. In the middle of milk feeds they need to burp. They won’t lie down comfortably if they don’t burp. They will sometimes refuse to drink all of their milk until they let one out! Dammit we whack them on the back until they burp!

When our babies fart we are really happy right? As parents, we are constantly making sure that they are not ‘gassy’ and that they poop and urinate enough times in a day. Nobody wants to have a baby with trapped gas right? This would make for a very uncomfortable, unhappy – and crying – baby.

When babies burp or fart in a crowd, it will more often than not elicit applause and lots of cheering. So why is it that an adult needs to be so ashamed of any kind of gas that really, just needs to pass?

When does the ‘change’ happen? At what age is it not appropriate to burp and fart to our heart’s content?